Breakdown of Het is laat, dus gaan wij naar huis.
zijn
to be
het huis
the house
wij
we
naar
to
laat
late
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
het
it
dus
so, therefore
Questions & Answers about Het is laat, dus gaan wij naar huis.
Why is the word order gaan wij instead of wij gaan?
In Dutch sentences, the verb must usually be the second piece of information. Because the second part of this sentence starts with the linking word dus (therefore/so), it takes up the first spot. The verb (gaan) must come immediately after it to stay in the second position, which pushes the subject (wij) into the third spot. This swap is called inversion.
Why do we say naar huis instead of naar thuis?
Huis simply means house, but the fixed phrase naar huis is the Dutch way to say you are going home (showing movement toward it). You use the word thuis when you are already at home (showing a fixed location), so you cannot combine naar with thuis.
Does het here refer to a specific neuter noun?
No. Just like English, Dutch uses het as a dummy subject to talk about time, weather, or general situations. Here, het is laat works exactly like the English phrase it is late, without referring to a specific object.
Could I use we instead of wij in this sentence?
Yes, you definitely can! Wij is the emphasized form of we. You would use wij here if you want to strongly emphasize that we are going home, perhaps in contrast to other people who are staying. If you don't need that extra emphasis, we is perfectly fine and sounds very natural.
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